[Tour 2002]- Stage 20

CycloFiend Tour Addict race-report@cyclofiend.com
Sun, 28 Jul 2002 23:17:30 -0700


Stage 20 - Melun to Paris

"The men come home"

153 riders start the day - the glorious day - parading into Paris.  5
teams are intact as they come home. Much is decided, however admist the
silliness and pagentry, there is the Green Sprint Jersey to be decided.
Lotto's Australian sprint specialist, Robbie McEwen holds merely a one
point lead over Erik Zabel of Telekom, 239 to 238.

McEwen blew away from Telekom and Zabel, at the first sprint point,
getting 2 more points, but it will still come down to the available
points on the Champs Elysees. It's a wonderful sunny day, and the riders
are regrouped after the sprint point, spread across the roadway.  They
have rolled across the Seine, and preparing to go across onto the
circuit on the Champs Elysees.  They roll past the Municipal Velodrome,
where the Tour used to finish before settling on the finish in the
shadow at the Arc D'Triomphe. As they pass this historic point, the
riders of the USPS gather at the front and begin to form the blue train
which will lead the yellow jersey before the thunderous cheers of the
crowds.

The performance of the USPS has been phenomenal  -  Vlatchislav Ekimov,
George Hincapie, Victor Hugo Pena, Benoit Joachim, Pavel Padrnos, Floyd
Landis, Jose Luis Rubiera and Roberto Heras have all committed their
efforts and energies to a specific focus. As Lance has stated, this is
the year of the team.

10 laps, 64 km to go. They run through the sprint point with the USPS at
the helm, so the Green Jersey will not be decided until the final
finish.

After a lap led by the Postal Boys, the attacks hit hard and heavy,
first instigator is Bram de Groot of the all-intact Rabobank team who
joins up with Jens Voight of Credit Agricole, a rider who has had a
difficult, crash-marred effort in this year. They scramble around and
get a bit of gap, but get swarmed over by a few riders, and more riders
fire out and create an 8 man breakaway - riders include Nico Mattan,
Cedric Vasseur, Jakob Piil have jointed up with them.

A sudden crash in the peloton, Vincente Acosta of iBanesto.com slowly
regains his bike and considers the efforst of catching the fast-flying
peloton.

Now, Piil shoots away, drawing with him Nico Mattan as they come back
down away from the 180 degree turn at the top of the cirucuit.

Another half lap and another pair make their way out in front Sylvain
Chavanal and Christian Moreni fly up the gutter and hold a 10 second
lead.  But, along with the lack of cobbles comes another problem -
Chavanal punctures as they hit the 180 degree turn, Bram de Groot pulls
up lame with a bag stuck in his cogs, and another Ag2R rider finds some
more glass and flats as well.

Moreni  plugs along out in front, but is now getting run down upon by a
group of four riders including Laurent Jalabert.  Along with Jalabert
rides the man with the worlds most powerful thighs - Mapei's Andrea
Tafi.  Along with them is David Millar.  Tafi drives a massive gear and
continues to expand the lead.

Between them and the peloton, a group of ten or twelve riders have
escaped. Michael Boogerd leads another group, including Raimondas
Rumsas!  Now that's an interesting rider to have out and away.
Certainly, he's allowed to attac, but generally the riders who are in
the top spaces do not try to change their position on this stage.  His
efforts provoke a reaction from ONCE, and now a big pink train churns
along at the front of the group.  They realize that he is within a
minute of moving up to second place.

His attendance dooming the breakaway, the group of five hook up with the
12, causing Tafi to counterattack to salvage their effort, while a
Tacconi rider manages to get himself a flat. So, a group of 16  try to
stay away.  With the addition of Rumsas, their success is doomed, as a
violent reaction continues from the group. They reattach, and another
group moves off the front.  They look significantly more ragged that the
first bunch, and cannot match the decisive speed of the earlier group,
being reabsorbed before a full circuit of the wide cobbled streets.

Another move, and the most pained is Marco Velo of Fassa Bortolo, in
among the leading group at 15 seconds away, who seems to have to gear
trouble - looks like he only can change his chainrings, stuck in his
smallest cog.  Also in among the group of 8 or 9 leaders is Erik Dekker.
Velo cannot slow or stop to change machines, and must either spin like
mad or punch a big damned gear to stay in a potentially winning bunch.

Two laps remain now, pushing the pedals and themselves through the
sunny, humid day.and the 9 riders' efforts are numbered. The peloton
thunder along, deciding to get serious.  They have pushed within 10
seconds of the leaders. The group stretched out in anger, Telekom
continuously winding up their efforts to try to deliver Zabel to the
front when it counts in about 12 km's.

As they head toward the bell lap, only two riders survive in defiance of
the peloton's effort, Mapei's Pedro Horillo and CSC's Jakob Piil.  The
bell rings and Massimilliano Lelli blasts away from the front of the
pack, followed by Robbie Hunter, then Laurent Brochard.  Lelli flails
and falls back while the other two pair up and torture themselves to
gain 6 seconds, which is then shut down hard by the flying form of
Sergei Ivanov from Fassa Bortolo.  Criminy - Raimondas Rumsas has moved
up with him, again in search of reducing his gap.  Abraham Olano drives
the pace for ONCE, but Rumsas' move is winning him nothing but anger
from the peleton.  The peleton flies back up to them, and reabsorbs the
cheeky Lithuianian.

A single rider has moved away to a gap as they negotiate the far end and
pass into the tunnel.  Out into the sun leads an Alessio rider - Martin
Hvastija -  1 km from the line, mouth open and blood seeming to come out
his eyes, he blows and can no longer continue pedaling, drifting back to
finish somewhere invisible. .

Through the broad turns toward the final straight, Telekom comes blazing
to the front again, Aldag hammers at the head of affairs, but there is a
huge amount of commotion and confusion as other riders look for wheels
to follow and leaders to leadout.  Danilo Hondo sets a strong pace, but
- he leads no one! Zabel is out of it!  McEwen comes flying around a few
riders, Zabel drifts back, blown and exhausted after missing out on the
right wheel in the turn. McEwen green jersey starts to color shift as he
reaches warp speed - gaining ground on Baden Cooke who hammers on his
shoulder.  They duel to the line and McEwen will not be denied!  He puts
everything he has left into his legs, cranks groaning and nearly
buckling his frame as he pounds out the most explosive track finish he
can muster.  He wins the stage, emphatically showing that he owns the
Green Jersey for the Tour 2002!  There is a palpable moment of
hesitation, in which you can see him realizing what he has done - then
McEwen's arms go aloft and he salutes the victory before crumpling in
tears at the side of the finish.

Lance Armstrong crosses safely within the pack to win Tour de France
number 4. "The Year of the Team".

Stage 20 -
Robbie McEwen - Lotto - 3:30:47
Baden Cooke - FDJeux.com - st.
Damien Nazon - Bonjour - st
Fabio Baldato - Fassa Bortolo - st
Davide Casarotto - Alessio - st


GC -
Mailliot Juane - Lance Armstrong - 82 hrs 05:22
2 - Joseba Beloki - 7:17
3 - Raimondas Rumsas - 8:17
4 - Santiago Botero - 13:10
5 - Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano - 13:54
6 - Jose Azevedo - 15:44
7 - Francisco Mancebo - 16:05
8 - Levi Leipheimer - 17:11
9 - Roberto Heras - 17:18
10 - Carlos Sastre - 19:05
11 - Ivan Basso - 19:18  (Best Young Rider)
12 - Michael Boogerd - 20:33
13 - Davide Moncoutier - 21:08 (Best Placed French Rider)
14 - Massimo Lelli - 27:51
15 - Tyler Hamilton - 28:36
16 - Richard Virenque - 28:42
17 - Stephan Goubert - 29:51
18 - Unai Osa - 30:17
19 - Nico Vogondy - 32:44


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Tomorrow - Wrap up and Final Thoughts